Are you Mad or Nah? 3 Myths of the Angry Black Woman.

(ThySistas.com) As a black woman I am mad that the “Angry Black Woman” has a Wikipedia page and reads this as the opening, “The Angry Black Woman is a stereotype about black women. The Angry Black Woman is also known as the “Sapphire” or “Sassy Black Woman“. The angry black woman trope was popularized in the 1930s radio show Amos ‘n’ Andy with the character Sapphire. Her nagging, assertive demeanor and frequent emasculation of her husband has been echoed with characters such as Aunt Esther from Sanford and Son and Pam from Martin.

The angry black woman has not been studied to the same degree as the Mammy and Jezebel archetypes. Scholars Dionne Bennett and Marcyliena Morgan suggest that the stereotype is less studied because researchers accept it: “The stereotype of the angry, mean Black woman goes unnamed not because it is insignificant, but because it is considered an essential characteristic of Black femininity regardless of the other stereotypical roles the Black woman may be accused of occupying. These stereotypes are more than representations; they are representations that shape realities.”

Black women are always mad about something

Let’s be clear reality TV is not real…again reality TV is not real. Love and Hip Hop and Housewives of Atlanta are not real depictions of black women. These shows are solely for entertainment and provide a huge does of drama but this is not how black women act.

Black women are always mad about something is a myth. However if black women are mad, I think we are well within our rights. The daily fake depictions of ourselves, these stereotypes lead to multiple problems. It can cause the people watching effect. So it’s important to watch how black woman are being portrayed and debunk the myth.

Black women have daddy issues

It’s no secret that the rates of fatherless homes in the African American community are alarmingly high, more than 70%. Black women need to be affirmed by black men. We need to be protected by black men our fathers. If that doesn’t happen as a child, as that little girl becomes an adult it could look like resentment, bitterness or anger. These proposed issues also can filter into relationships with men. “We are affirmed by all men when our fathers affirm us, tell us that we are strong and beautiful- even if silently- and make us feel worthy of love.” But there are black woman who have created strong villages around black girls that turn out to be strong black women. All black women without fathers do not have daddy issues.

Black woman are hypersexual

A half-naked black woman in music videos, magazines and twerking makes it appear that all black women are like that. It’s a myth. It’s funny that Kim Kardashian gets praise for doing all nude spread in Paper Magazine. It even goes as far as her being photographed with a glass balanced on her ass. But she is married, with children and living unapologetically free in her world of privilege. When black women stop denying and hiding their authentic sexual nature they will be more courageous, free and empowered. Black woman are sexual beings and it’s ok to be present in that without guilt.